(CN) Zhuhai's ocean park passes green test

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South China Morning Post

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Marine attraction nearer to construction

Chloe Lai in Guangzhou

Apr 11, 2009

 

Zhuhai has moved one step closer to getting a massive ocean-themed

entertainment centre, said to be the largest in Asia.

The 143-hectare Zhuhai Chime-Long Ocean World passed its preliminary

environmental impact assessment on Wednesday, according to an announcement

posted yesterday on the website of the Ministry of Environmental

Protection's South China Institute of Environmental Science.

 

Preparation work is under way for a more detailed environmental study before

construction begins in December. The project is expected to be completed in

2012.

 

A Zhuhai Chime-Long investment company plans to invest up to 3.05 billion

yuan (HK$3.46 billion) in the park, the environmental impact assessment

revealed.

 

The investment company belongs to Chime-Long Group, a theme park

conglomerate based in Guangzhou's Panyu district.

 

The group runs a water theme park, a night-time zoo, a crocodile park, a

wildlife park and several hotels in Guangdong.

 

The company declined to comment on the Zhuhai project, but a staff member

involved said it was reportedly to be the biggest in Asia in terms of area.

 

Ocean World will have an ocean circus, night safari, convention centre,

hotels and residential buildings, according to the Macao Daily News.

 

It will apparently be developed in several phases, with the first one

entirely on land.

 

The park will be built on Zhuhai's Hengqin Island, which Beijing has

designated as a base for the diversification of Macau's economy.

 

Just a few hundred metres from Macau's Cotai Strip, Hengqin is three times

the size of Macau but has fewer than 7,000 residents. The place is well

known for oyster breeding.

 

Hong Kong's Ocean Park is spending about HK$5.5 billion to redevelop its

facilities.

 

A tourism expert in Hong Kong said he was not worried by the potential

competition the new park could pose to Hong Kong's Ocean Park.

 

Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of Hong Kong's Travel Industry

Council, said: " Whether an ocean park is attractive or not depends very much

on its facilities and whether it can provide a good education for kids.

 

" Size is not everything. I believe it will provide extra incentive for our

park to be even better. "

 

A Hong Kong Ocean Park spokeswoman said more theme parks in the region would

provide customers with more choices and benefit their leisure lives.

 

Ocean Park was confident it would continue to thrive because of its unique

attractions, she said.

 

Oyster restaurants in the neighbourhood of the future Zhuhai Ocean World

said the city government had told them to move before the end of this year,

to pave way for the theme park's construction.

 

" The government still hasn't told us how they will compensate us, " a

restaurant manager said.

 

[Moderator's Note:

For more on the Chime-Long Group who run the Xiangjiang Safari Park, see:

http://www.aapn.org/zoopage2.html - scroll down to Panyu]